I have funding to go to Brazil this summer and I'll be spending up to two months there. I'll probably be volunteering for one month in a big city (most likely Sao Paulo) but otherwise am free to travel across the country.

I'd love to collect here your recommendations for spending time in Brazil, where to go, what to see, what to do, what to eat, anything! :)

_________________Some woopiter from Jupiter then says, and I quote: "That can't be true because I read otherwise online. Just look on Youtube." - torque

let me know closer to the time and i can give you lots of info. in planning, remember that anyplace south of Rio in the summer [your summer, our winter] will be cold and not tropical- this includes SP though it's super variable there [that's where my inlaws all are and we spend a lot of time there]. i'm in curitiba, and you need your woolies and hot water bottle here for sure.what kind of volunteering?

I'll hopefully be volunteering with an NGO, although the details are not confirmed yet. The idea is to consolidate language learning whilst doing something which is productive and hopefully helpful for a future career.

I'd like to go to somewhere in the Amazon region for a week or so; what do you think? I was vaguely considering Manaus.

_________________Some woopiter from Jupiter then says, and I quote: "That can't be true because I read otherwise online. Just look on Youtube." - torque

Manaus is famous for being a craphole and dangerous but i would go if i had the chance [haven't had the chance yet] despite that! if you're going up there take the yellow fever shot and bring mosquito net/repellent.

someone here has done a homestay up north a few years ago, i can't remember who? they emailed me while they were here but i can't find the message.

if you know the NGO, feel free to send it to me if you want me to hunt for legitimacy. Sadly Brazil is a lovely place but there is lots of ripping-off-gringos going on- the WWOOF program is known for this. São Paulo is not quite as bad as Rio in terms of this and crime in general [cf recent news] but it's still, as we say here, not a place for amateurs.

If I can, I will be going with an international NGO I already volunteer with here in the UK but will definitely be in touch if that changes, so thank you for the offer :)

I know nothing about Manaus so was only considering it as one place I had heard of. Do you know of any lovelier places in the Amazon region? Sorting out vaccinations are on my to-do list for next week :)

_________________Some woopiter from Jupiter then says, and I quote: "That can't be true because I read otherwise online. Just look on Youtube." - torque

i think manaus is totally worth it. the meeting of the waters, the old architecture, etc. other than that there is really no centralized place in the amazon region that you can go to do something besides simply "being in nature". the population is just so sparse and things are so far one from another.

whey is "soro de leite" or just soro. i will put a link in the bottom of this msg with a list of ingredients to look out for. ingredient lists are pretty sketchy compared to EU ones. anything imported is likely to have a mistranslated product label [we buy a lot of japanese stuff and it's like they don't even try when we compare the original and the translation].

this is what my web group came up with (sorry about format, it came from FB) I was in Rio recently. My tip: be careful with ATM's. Two guys tried to do a card cloning number on me at a Santander in Copa (had to cancel the card). Another buddy from the US had his card blocked after someone (not him) tried to charge $2,000 on it.

Jardim Botanico is well worth a 1/2 day trip....

There are loads of guides online about what to do in Rio, but the first thing I would say is that if she wants to do all the traditional tourist things... the PDA, Cristo, etc, then allow an enormous amount of time. Anyone who assumes you can do several of these sights in a day has not tried doing them when thousands of other tourists are trying to do the same

Head to Paraty for a few days

Galitos Grill in Ipanema ...

The best stores for arts arts and crafts from throughout Brazil are in Santa Teresa. They should go for lunch and stay to shop and visit the local museums. Then walk down the stairs to Lapa for a drink. etc., etc.

If she likes museums, I recommend Palacio do Catete and Museu Historico Nacional. Museu das Belas Artes is an excellent art gallery with traditional works. For more modern exhibits there is Museu de Arte Moderna (MAM) and the new Museu de Arte do Rio (MAR) which includes a rooftop viewing platform.

For a day at the beach, whilst Copacobana, Ipanema & Leblon are justifiably famous, that's where most of the tourists go and prices are higher as a result. Try Praia do Flamengo which has a good view of Pão de Açucar (Sugar Loaf).

I also agree with the earlier recommendation for Jardim Botanico. Also Quinta da Boa Vista which also has the Jardim Zoologico in it's grounds.

Oh, and if you are in Santa Teresa, don't miss Parque das Ruinas.

For free live Samba music, try Praça São Salvador in Larnejeiras from 6 -10pm on a Saturday.

There is so much to see and do in Rio that 2 weeks won't be enough....

First Saturday of each month Feira Lavradio in Lapa, if in Santa Teresa go the Ruinas for a great view of the city, take the elevator to Pavao-Pavaozinho in Ipanema above the General Osorio train station, Friday night at the back alley ways of Praca 15 where you can hear some great music and see the old architecture of the city, Rent an bike through the ITAU racks through the city and go along the Orla of Ipa and Copa. if you are fit, you can go all the way up to Santos Dumont airport. Tons of other stuff. Depends on what they like....

frankly when i go out i usually just go to a "per-kilo" place [buffet]. rice will be vegan but the beans may or may not be. i usually go to the cheapie ones where they simply can't afford to throw meat in the beans. but in most you will never know. you can ask and they will say yes because they think you want to hear yes. if you tell them you're veg they'll tell you no because they'll think you want to hear no. neither one may have anything to do with the truth. the only way to know you're eating veg is make your own lunch or check out the vegan places [and hope they're actually vegan].

So I'm here in Brazil! I've been here in Rio for a couple of days days now and so far have had no problem finding vegan food, although I have eaten a lot of salad! However, the salads (vegetable and fruit) have been amazing, even in non-veg places.

Not done much exploring so far as I've been busy volunteering but hoping to get to see some stuff next week. I won't be posting much here while I'm away but will try and pop in occasionally :)

_________________Some woopiter from Jupiter then says, and I quote: "That can't be true because I read otherwise online. Just look on Youtube." - torque

Time has flown so fast! I can't believe I've been in Brazil nearly seven weeks already, but I have and my flight back home leaves late at night on 4 September, which brings me to my question: what should I bring back from Brazil? I can't take any fresh fruit or vegetables sadly, but what else should I bring?

_________________Some woopiter from Jupiter then says, and I quote: "That can't be true because I read otherwise online. Just look on Youtube." - torque

well, tapioca flour is being used in a lot of recipes lately; tapioca starch can be found pretty easily (at least in the US, in asian markets) but there is another kind called polvilho azedo that is kind of fermented and has a cheesy taste. It's not to be confused with polvilho doce, which is the normal starch. I like to use it for savory applications.vegan condensed milk, perhaps (not sure where you are now, if you can get it.) http://www.olvebra.com.br/pt/produtos/f ... sp?famId=6depending on where you are, you might be able to get good nuts, conservas de figo, abobora, etc. where will you be til your departure?

Manaus, ugh, not too much there. I hear a lot about how it is a terrible place for anything besides fish and some certain types of jungle fruit. At least you have açaí, i guess. Crafty or handmade stuff? You should be able to get castanha de pará, i guess (maybe? i am not entirely sure if that is more to the east)Rio you might be able to find package goods like the soymilk, i guess, though i have friends in Rio who say they can't find half of the stuff I get in Paraná.Other than that, there is very little that i miss that i can bring when i travel. i miss fresh foods, my beloved chimarrão (or tereré, if you're up north there), but that's about it in terms of purchases. Funky Havaianas, perhaps, though the prices have shot up for them and you can probably get them cheaper at home. I have a pair that is from Conservation International with sea turtles and stuff, not sure if that was a Brazil-only or what. Might be worth a look.In SP I buy a brand of soy crumbles that i can't find anywhere else, that are so realistic that the first time my sogra made them i refused to eat it, i was so sure it was meat and they were trying to fool me. The brand is called Camil, and it's proteina de soja. it is the bomb, i brought 3kg when i came this time because even in the US there isn't a product that's comparable. http://www.camil.com.br/related_products/33/45 maybe if you look around you might find it in Rio.

Manaus, ugh, not too much there. I hear a lot about how it is a terrible place for anything besides fish and some certain types of jungle fruit. At least you have açaí, i guess. Crafty or handmade stuff? You should be able to get castanha de pará, i guess (maybe? i am not entirely sure if that is more to the east)Rio you might be able to find package goods like the soymilk, i guess, though i have friends in Rio who say they can't find half of the stuff I get in Paraná.Other than that, there is very little that i miss that i can bring when i travel. i miss fresh foods, my beloved chimarrão (or tereré, if you're up north there), but that's about it in terms of purchases. Funky Havaianas, perhaps, though the prices have shot up for them and you can probably get them cheaper at home. I have a pair that is from Conservation International with sea turtles and stuff, not sure if that was a Brazil-only or what. Might be worth a look.In SP I buy a brand of soy crumbles that i can't find anywhere else, that are so realistic that the first time my sogra made them i refused to eat it, i was so sure it was meat and they were trying to fool me. The brand is called Camil, and it's proteina de soja. it is the bomb, i brought 3kg when i came this time because even in the US there isn't a product that's comparable. http://www.camil.com.br/related_products/33/45 maybe if you look around you might find it in Rio.